The Korea Society

November 22, 2022 - South Korea holds the proud distinction of being the first independent Asian country to participate in a FIFA World Cup tournament in 1954. Still, Korea's success in soccer is forever linked with the 2002 World Cup: while co-hosting the tournament with Japan, Korea became the first team outside of Europe and America to reach the semi-finals. That event propelled Korea to the next stage in the world of soccer, as it became a home of world-class players, a robust professional soccer league, and the most dedicated fans. On the eve of Korea's eleventh total and tenth consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance in Qatar, join us for a conversation with Steve Han about the history of soccer in Korea. Steve Han is a journalist specializing in sports and entertainment. He is currently a chief editor for Korea at soccer editorial agency Ganassa, writing for FIFA+, Manchester City, and Borussia Dortmund. In addition to a 14-year career as a football writer at Goal between 2008 and March 2022, he has also freelanced for various publications, including FourFourTwo and Sports Chosun, and has appeared on BBC World News and Sky Sports. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1633-korea-fifa-world-cup

October 25, 2022 - Join us for a discussion on North Korea's domestic and foreign policy trends and how they tie in with the latest developments of nuclear weapons and missiles on and around the Korean Peninsula. The discussion features Open Nuclear Network (ONN) Senior Analyst Rachel Minyoung Lee and Analysts Jaewoo Shin and Tianran Xu, and Lauren Sukin, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. Utilizing open source intelligence and satellite photos, as well as findings from academic inquiry, the experts unpack how new and developing weapons impact the security environment in Northeast Asia. This program is produced in partnership with Columbia University’s APEC Study Center. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1604-korean-peninsula-nuclear-update

October 24, 2022 - As global superstars put everything on the line for a special one-night-only concert, they face struggles both cultural and personal that threaten to dismantle one of the industry’s hottest labels. Featuring a cast of K-pop and musical theater stars, with 18 Broadway debuts, KPOP is a multimedia experience that explores the relentless discipline, raw talent, and commercial ambition behind the international sensation. KPOP has the distinction of being the first musical on Broadway celebrating Korean culture and it is the third Broadway musical that highlights API heritage with API representation in the cast and creative team. Join us for a conversation with the creative team behind the scene and cast members as they prepare to make their Broadway debut. About the Speakers: HELEN PARK (Music & Lyrics, Music Production & Arrangements) is best known for her work as composer-lyricist and music producer for the upcoming Broadway musical, KPOP, for which she is a three-time Drama Desk nominee and recipient of a Lucille Lortel Award and Richard Rodgers Award. Additionally, Park co-wrote songs for the Oscar-nominated Netflix animated musical film Over the Moon, directed by Academy Award-winning animator Glen Keane. She holds an MFA from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program and is an alumnus of the advanced BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop. BOHYUNG (Tiny) is proud to be making her Broadway debut in KPOP. She is a veteran K-Pop star, debuting as a member of SPICA as well as performing as a solo artist. She has performed at KCON LA, KCON Abu Dhabi, Rainbow Festival, Immortal Songs, King of Mask Singer, amongst others. @bohyungkim KEVIN WOO (Jun Hyuk) is honored to make his Broadway debut in KPOP. As a successful Korean-American singer-songwriter and former member of K-pop boy band U-KISS, he dedicates this to his South Korean heritage. @kevinwoo_official For more information, please visit the link below: https://koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1623-kpop-the-broadway-musical

October 19, 2022 - This Quick Take on Korea discussion covers the latest issues impacting South Korea, the U.S.-Korea Relationship, and North Korea, with expert insights from Rob Rapson, former Chargé d'Affaires of U.S. Embassy Seoul. Robert Rapson is a former senior U.S. Foreign Service Officer whose 39-year diplomatic career spanned the Indo-Pacific region from Korea and Japan to Southeast Asia, India and Afghanistan. As Chargé d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission, led, managed, and motivated large multicultural U.S. Embassies in Seoul, Tokyo, and Kuala Lumpur to advance significant U.S. political, economic, commercial, security, law enforcement, and public diplomacy interests with those countries and across the Asia region during periods of major political transition and crisis. A recognized Korea/East Asia expert and skilled advocate, negotiator, team builder, strategic planner, editor and communicator who navigates with ease across senior-most levels of foreign governments, the corporate sector, and public audiences.

October 11, 2022 - How do our stories transform as they are passed down to each generation? Prize-winning poet Su Cho explores the legacies of language and lore in her unforgettable debut collection, The Symmetry of Fish. Selected by Space Struck author Paige Lewis for the National Poetry Series, these poems trace the narratives and phrases of a Korean American immigrant family with absorbing tenderness and curiosity. Cho threads stories of food and folktales through her meditations on joy, grief, friendship, faith, and coming of age in the middle of nowhere. This inventive debut illuminates how language is not lost over generations but distilled into potency— continuously remade, hitched to new associations, and capable of blooming anew. In this conversation, Su Cho discusses her debut collection and the emerging tradition of Korean-American poetry. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1614-a-conversation-with-su-cho

October 6, 2022 - Join us for this discussion about the outside world’s attempts to reach the North Korean population through media, with Dong Hyuk Lee, Chief of Voice Of America’s Korean Service, and Dr. Jieun Baek, Fellow with the Korea Project and the Applied History Project at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1603-message-in-a-bottle-broadcasting-to-north-korea

September 23, 2022 - Join us for this expert panel discussion on the U.S.-ROK Alliance, featuring former National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Allison Hooker, Korea Society Board Chair Ambassador (ret.) Kathleen Stephens, and Korea Society Van Fleet senior fellow Dr. Katrin Katz, and moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado. How can the U.S. and South Korea work together to pursue shared objectives in an increasingly fraught and complex security environment? To optimize the approach, what adaptations or evolutions are needed to the shared diplomatic, economic, and security agenda? This program was made possible by the generous support of the Korea Foundation and our corporate sponsors. For more information about our supporters, please refer to our webpage here. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1602-u-s-rok-alliance-the-road-ahead

September 6, 2022 - Join us for this roundtable and podcast recording on North Korea-China Relations after The Singapore Summit, with Dr. Seong-Hyon Lee, senior fellow at the George H. W. Bush Foundation and a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. In conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado, Dr. Lee’s talk explores the evolving relationship between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with a special focus on the time period between the U.S.-DPRK Summits in Singapore (June 2018) and Hanoi (February 2019). Dr. Lee scrutinizes documentary footage of the summits, reviews official Chinese and North Korean documents, and utilizes interviews with people in the know to reveal how Xi gradually increased his influence over Kim through their five summit meetings between March 2018 and June 2019. The talk concludes with some policy implications for the North Korean nuclear issue under the current Biden-Xi administrations. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1611-north-korea-china-relations-after-the-singapore-summit

September 1, 2022 - Still today, education remains inaccessible to millions of children across the globe. In meeting their educational needs, extensive technology use has become helpful in expanding the quality learning environment. This Young Professionals' Network program features Sooinn Lee, the Co-Founder and CEO of Enuma, Inc. Founded in 2012, Enuma has developed multiple award-winning digital learning platforms for youth and children, including those from under-resourced environments. Join us for a timely conversation with Sooinn as she will discuss her ongoing work and achievements in providing children of various backgrounds with high-quality education, along with her far-reaching vision and goals. This discussion will be moderated by Jay Oh, Senior Director of Arts and Culture of The Korea Society. This program is made possible by the support from Yang Won Sun Foundation. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/special-events/item/1600-a-conversation-with-enuma-ceo-sooinn-lee

Recorded July 14, 2022 - We are pleased to share the audio from our National Outreach program in Atlanta. On July 14, 2022, The Korea Society hosted "The Comprehensive, Strategic U.S.-Korea Alliance," a conference in Atlanta, Georgia produced in partnership with the Southeast U.S. Korean Chamber of Commerce. This event was held at the Commerce Club Atlanta. The conference was the rollout of a strategic initiative of the Society to highlight the diplomatic, security, business and investment aspects of the multifaceted, dynamic U.S.-Korea relationship. It was composed of keynote speeches, two morning panels, a luncheon, and a closing reception. The conference served to connect the local Atlanta and the wider Southeast U.S. audience with high-impact speakers who provided insights on a series of engaging topics. We hope you enjoy! PANEL TWO DISCUSSION Moderator Professor William I. Sauser, Jr. PhD, Auburn University Harbert College of Business Panelists Athar Khan, Director of International Specialty Sales, Delta Air Lines Stuart Countess, President & CEO, Kia Georgia Steven Jahng, Director/Head of External Affairs/Social Value, SK Battery America, Inc. Yoonie Kim, Director, Korean Investment, Georgia Department of Economic Development KEYNOTE ADDRESS Pat Wilson, Commissioner for Georgia Department of Economic Development CLOSING REMARKS Jae Kim, President, The Southeast U.S. Korean Chamber of Commerce For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1592-the-comprehensive-strategic-u-s-korea-alliance